As I sit at the high table waiting for Tango Nuevo owner and manager Gokhan Cifci to arrive, I scan the room and take in the beautiful space located just north of Brock street on King Street East. Rich dark brown finishes, exposed limestone, beautiful light and an intricately detailed ceiling make me feel at ease instantly. Cifci later describes the space he opened in July 2013 as relaxing and romantic and I couldn’t agree more.
Even the food is romantically inclined with fusion tapas (meaning small plates) to share influenced by cuisine around the world – and when I say “around the world,” I truly mean it.
To give you a taste of the variety on the menu, a few examples: Asian Pork Ribs with ginger soy, honey and anise glaze (Cifci’s favourite); Jamaican Jerk Tacos with braised and pulled pork in a jerk sauce, grilled pineapple salsa and a red cabbage slaw (or Greek Octopus with greek feta, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes and oregano), served with grilled baguette and featuring Spanish oro bailen picual olive oil from Kingston Olive Oil Co.
I’ve just listed three completely opposite geographical locations, so what’s the common factor that ties them all together? The team at Tango Nuevo use as many local foods working with Wendy’s Mobile Market that connects restaurants with local farmers.
“They deliver to downtown twice a week and it’s a great program and they do a great job. It’s very difficult in the restaurant business to get a local farmer’s produce and vegetables – consistency is very important but Wendy’s does that perfectly,” says Cifci.
If you’re ever curious about which items specifically come from local farmers and where they are located, check the chalkboard at the back of the restaurant on the left-hand side for a detailed list.
The globally-inspired and locally harvested meals can be enjoyed with close family and friends in a new intimate space recently launched by Tango Nuevo, called La Bodega which is Spanish for cellar. Perfectly named considering the space is home to around 700 bottles of high end wine – 60 international and 10 to 15 local.
Cifci is very proud of the thoughtfully decorated space that seats eight to ten people (or fewer – and a charge will apply).
“We thought a lot about everything before we did it. The chairs, concrete, table top, some wine glasses are crystal. We ordered new china coming from England – handmade pottery plates. It has its own sound system for guests. We are going to have projectors for daytime meetings.” says Cifci.
The exclusive wine list and expensive pottery are not the only perks, guests can enjoy either a tapas menu for $65 or a chef tasting menu for $87. And did I mention it’s sound proof?
